Doctors, Carpenters, & Fishermen Oh My!
by rinincali
Summary: When Rin moves to Harmonica Town she is overwhelmed by the transition from City life to Farm life! Besides having to learn about growing plants and milking cows, she also has to learn the dating game.   My first fic! Enjoy  -
1. Arrival

Doctors, Carpenters, & Fishermen Oh My!

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. It's the last day of winter, the sun is bright and things are already warming up so much. And here I am, on my way to a brand new life. Ah! I forgot to introduce myself!

The name's Rin! I'm nineteen years old, I have dark brown, nearly black hair, and light green eyes. Until just today, I've been living the city life. But, I've always had a craving for something... More. Something outside of my comfort zone. So, I'm off to start my own farm, just outside of Harmonica Town. I get a house, a barn, a coop, and a field. All just for 5000g! Mayor Hamilton is being highly gracious with me, he's too kind! As I sit here on the back of this carriage, all I can think about is how things are going to be. Am I going to make friends? Enemies? Find love?

I combed my fingers through my short, choppy hair as I gave that thought. We were nearly to the port. Once there, I was only a short boat ride away from Castanet. I could feel my heart racing as I boarded the boat, already seeing my destination in the distance. The early morning sunlight kissed the ocean water as I watched the light breeze cause the trees on shore to sway. The boat ride was over rather quickly and I disembarked, large duffle bag over my shoulder. "Wow." I breathed, taking in the delightful sight that was Harmonica Town.

Directly before me was a magnificent lighthouse and to my side, the town itself. "Let me show you to town hall." Pascal, the ships' captain offered. He was an older, rough sea man with darkly tanned skin and wrinkles the years at sea had worn on him. I thanked him with a slight bow as he lead me through the town. I couldn't suppress my excitement as we passed by the fishery, then the bar, then the tailors. Besides those, I saw both the buildings and signs for the other businesses in town that sparked my curiosity. Finally he stopped and beckoned me to the door to Town Hall and I noted the photography shop next door. With a deep breath I turned the knob and headed inside.

The Town Hall building was richly decorated with references of Harmonica Town's history. I looked around, attempting to see it all before looking forward to see Mayor Hamilton approaching me with a large smile. He was a squat, plump man with crazily styled white hair and a rather avant garde sense of style.

"Ah Rin!" He greeted, reaching for my hand to shake it. "Welcome to Harmonica Town." I smiled and shook his hand.

"Thank you Mayor. I already love it here." I returned.

"Great, great. Let me just get you a few things and you're all set." He said before disappearing behind the desk for a moment. He popped up, two items in hand.

"Here, to get you started." He said, holding out a hoe and a watering can. Neither looked to be in /great/ condition. But, these were much better than nothing.

"Oh my goodness! How could I possibly accept these?" I asked, surprised by the mayor's continued kindness.

"You'll need them, just think of 'em as welcoming gifts." He insisted, holding them closer.

I sighed, giving in. I accepted his gifts and put them away in my bag.

"Ah! I nearly forgot. I have a request of you Rin. Since you're new to town, I think it would be best for you to meet the people of this community. So if you could, I'd love for you to go around town and meet everyone before we head to your farm." I felt a little uncomfortable with this idea, I wasn't a great at being social. Bur I guess that can just come with practice.

I gave the mayor a reassuring smile. "Sure thing mayor! But, may I leave my bag here? It's heavy." I asked, feeling my shoulder burning.

"Ah! Of course! Of course!" He said, taking my bag from me. He set it behind the counter as I thanked him with a bow. I excused myself and headed out the door.

I took a moment once I was out the door to just stand still and take a deep, much needed breath. I was actually here! I couldn't believe it.

I looked at the photography shop next door again and decided it would be the best place to start. I headed inside and smiled at all the portraits on the wall, many being of couples in wedding attire. A man appeared from upstairs and gave me a smile.

"You must be the new rancher Mayor Hamilton was talking about. I'm Simon." He approached, holding a hand out for me to shake, which I did of course.

"Correct you are. I'm Rin." I returned with another friendly smile in his direction.

"Well, welcome to Harmonica Town. I have a gift for you." I felt flustered as he disappeared for a moment before returning with a camera in his hands.

"I'd like you to take this, go document your life here." He said with a smile, holding the camera out to me.

I didn't know what to say. "Simon... Th-Thank you, so much." I said quietly as I delicately took the camera from him. I bowed slightly. "Thank you." I repeated.

"It's nothing. Just make sure you use it." He said with another smile. I thanked him again and assured him that I would use the camera before departing from his shop.


	2. Introductions

Chapter 2

I smiled, skip/hopping to my next destination, the Choral Clinic. I just hoped this wouldn't be somewhere I would have to visit often, I hate being sick. I opened the door that had a little bell that rang as I entered. An elderly woman looked up and smiled at me and I returned the silent greeting.

"Welcome to the Choral Clinic." She said. "I'm Irene, the doctor is out at the moment." I approached and held out a hand for her to shake.

"I'm Rin, the new rancher." She smiled and shook my hand before returning to something she had been doing before I arrived. I turned to leave and walked backwards for a moment.

"It was nice meeting-" My words were cut short with a soft "oof!" as my back hit something. I was unstable for a moment until I felt fingers clench my arms. I felt my heart race a bit. Whoever I had bumped into was tall, and smelled like herbs and medicine, but in an attractive way.

"Are you alright?" I didn't want to put a face to that enticing voice because I was already flustered enough. But I finally made myself turn around and take a step back. I bowed slightly.

"Yes, thank you." I said before standing straight, my eyes landing forward. Before me stood a man taller than me with black hair that was tied back in a ponytail. He wore cute round silver glasses and a doctors coat. So I thought it would be safe to assume that he was the doctor. He had a rather sophisticated look about him and it piqued my interest. I was finding him to be rather handsome.

"I'm Rin, by the way."

He smiled and I tried not to blush. "The new rancher, I presume."

"Ah! Yes! That's me!"

He laughed softly at my enthusiasm, his ebony eyes shining with his laughter.

"Well it's quite the pleasure to meet you, Rin. My name is Jin, I am the town's doctor." He introduced himself with a warm and relaxed smile. He didn't hold out a hand but I figured it probably had something to do with sanitation.

"I assumed as much." I returned with a teasing smile, mentally curious as to his current availability.

"Well Rin, I must get working. I apologize. Hopefully you can stop by every once and a while. Mind you, I do not hope that you'll be ill on these visits." He seemed a bit frazzled as he scooted past me, a hand on the back of his neck as he headed for the back room. I smiled.

"Yep! Hopefully I won't be getting sick any time soon." My smiled never faltered as I said goodbye to both residents and departed from the clinic.

I was genuinely happy as I took a deep breath of the salty sea breeze as compared to the congested city air I used to breathe every day. I was curious as to where to go next and I just hoped that I wouldn't run into more attractive men, I didn't think I could handle anymore of that! Finally I decided to head towards a building that had a sign saying something along the lines of it being an Inn. I could smell food and that excited me, I was a girl who liked her food. I need it for energy don't I! I entered the establishment and practically felt at home. Everything smelled like home-cooking and the décor just made me want to take a nice nap. I'd say that makes a pretty darn good Inn. A man behind the counter took notice of me and smiled, opening a book that most likely held the reservations for whoever stays.

"Last name?" He questioned as I approached.

"Ah! I don't have a reservation, I'm the new rancher." I explained quickly before he went to any more trouble trying to check me in.

"Oh!" He said over the loud thump of the thick reception book closing. "So you're the new rancher Mayor Hamilton told us about."

I felt a little uncomfortable that Mayor Hamilton had been telling everyone about me and my arrival, I felt like I was on public display.

Nevertheless, I smiled at him. "Yep, that's me."

"Well Miss Rin, you're sure the talk of the town. Whenever we get someone new around here, we get excited." I tried not to let myself feel more uncomfortable, but that statement was sure pushing me. How awkward is it that people keep talking about me? I practically don't even have to introduce myself!

"Oh, well that's, nice." I laughed softly, trying to ease the tension that I knew I was feeling.

"Jake, are you making customers uncomfortable?" A woman's voice called out and the man, who was identified as Jake laughed softly.

"No darling, this is the new rancher!" He replied as a woman appeared from the back.

She smiled at me, her amethyst eyes taking in my presence.

"Rin, this is my wife, Coleen, and I'm Jake." Coleen put an arm around her husband, and his gray eyes looked at her for a moment. His eyes matched his hair color, I noted.

I thought that it was rather cute, but held back a smile so I didn't look like a creep.

"It's nice to meet you both." I said with a bow.

"Likewise, I hope you find Harmonica Town to your liking." Coleen said with a smile, her short brown-blonde hair tousling as she tilted her head a bit.

"So do I." I said with a soft laugh before bowing slightly again. "I'll be seeing you around." I said before heading for the door, waving a bit at them. I noticed two women in the kitchen, an older woman with pinkish hair and a young one with blonde. I contemplated meeting them too, but decided not to interrupt their work.

I was outside breathing the sea air again, with every person I met, the more I liked this town. Soon I made my way all over the town, meeting lots, and lots of people. There were the women at the Tailor's shop, the men at the Fishery (though I was told that one was out), the father and daughter at the Brass Bar, a Wizard at his home at the top of the hill, and finally, I met the town priest, Perry. I felt quite accomplished as I headed back for town hall, I had basically met everyone in Harmonica town. Though, I was informed that there were also residents in Garmon Mines and Flute Fields. My mind was reeling with the amount of names I was attempting to remember, this was going to be hard.

I finally made it back to town hall, once inside, I didn't see Mayor Hamilton.

"Mayor Hamilton?" I called softly. "I met everyone in town."

I turned and looked around, wondering where he might have gone.

"Ah really Rin?" I jumped and turned to face his voice, he had come out from… I actually really didn't know where he came from. Creeeepy.

I regained my composure. "Definitely, everyone is so nice." I said with a large smile, retrieving my bag from behind the counter.

"Well that's great to hear."

"Yep… Can we, go see my ranch now?" I asked hopefully, getting excited to see my new home.

"Of course!"


	3. Home Already

So, after an arrangement for a ride over to my new land, Mayor Hamilton and I made our way out of the town. I was excited out of nobody's business the whole way there. I spotted a house in the distance over a large field of green grass and assorted plants. We stopped outside of the house, and I noted the small chicken coop and large barn right next door. The house was quaint on the outside, I already liked it, but I also noted the fact that it was going to need some work. I could see water damage, missing shingles, cracked boards, chipped paint. Was that a hole? In my roof? Oh no. Now I was a little worried… What if it rained! I attempted to remain calm as I took in the house more, it had a rather somber atmosphere about it. Though, I was determined to change things around with some work. With a little work, anything could be accomplished. Mayor Hamilton was silent and let me look around, which I took the liberty of doing. Yeah, this was all going to need work. The coop and the barn were worse than the house. There is no way I can get animals at this point, they could get sick… I returned to the mayor's side, questions on my mind.

"Is there a carpenter that I could hire to help me?" I asked, gesturing to the holes that gaped on the roofs of my buildings.

"Indeed! Up in Garmon Mines, there's Dale, his apprentice Bo, and his son Luke."

I beamed.

"That's wonderful news! I'll have to go see them then."

"Well until then, Rin. I hope you enjoy your new home. Here is the key."

I smiled wider and accepted the key from him with more than one murmured word of thanks. My own place… This was crazy.

"Thank you, so much Mayor, for everything." I said, bowing slightly to show my gratitude.

"Rin, do not fret. I, and the rest of our wonderful town are absolutely delighted to have you here. We can't wait for you to be a part of our large family."

I blushed. "W-well. I can't wait either."

"Get settled in, I will see you later." Mayor Hamilton said with a happy smile as he got into the carriage and headed back towards town.

I turned towards my new home and smiled. "I'm ready."

My first order of business? Get up to the mines, STAT. With a determined look on my face, I headed for the road that leads up to the mines. I trudged along the dirt path, whistling a gentle tune as the late winter breeze caressed my face. This place already felt like home. On my way, I came to cross a wooden bridge. The creaking sound it made when my weight was applied disconcerted me, but I paused my movement anyway. I lingered for the view, it was breath-taking. To my one side, was a large, beautiful, roaring waterfall. And to my other, the long river flowing it's way out to the ocean. Lingering snow lined the riverbanks and I could already see the promise of springtime on the face of the landscape around me. I smiled contently and continued across the bridge, seeing smoke rising in the distance; I was close. Walking a little faster I was slightly overwhelmed by the sight of Garmon Mines. It was just as bustling as Harmonica town, but with a whole different vibe. The sound of running water reached my ears while a welcoming and smoky aroma met my nose. The first building I saw was to my right, and just outside sat a sign that informed me of it's purpose. It was the carpenter's building, exactly what I needed.

The inside of the building was toasty, and smelled of sawdust, I kind of liked it. I glanced around and took in the view of woodpiles and tools lying around and hanging on the walls. Directly in front of me, behind a counter, was a large, burly man. His dark blue hair was tied back and his face appeared to have seen many a day. He grunted a bit and nodded his head to acknowledge my presence.

"Welcome." He greeted, his voice meeting my imagination's expectations.

I nodded a bit and approached the counter.

"Hi. I'm the new rancher, and I'm in serious need of some help on my house and farm buildings." I explained.

"I'm Dale." He said, pausing for a moment. "What is the extent of the damage?"

"Just a few holes… How much will it cost?"

"I'm not sure, I'll have to get you an estimate. But somewhere around a thousand gold, if you consider labor and materials."

My stomach dropped a bit, I really didn't have much by way of income at this point. I couldn't get any animals without fixing my roof up first.

"Oh, alright… Well, maybe for now I could just get an estimate?" I suggested before I heard footsteps approaching.

"Dad, are you trying to charge this pretty girl a thousand just for a couple holes you know I could do in my sleep?"

I turned to the voice and contained myself as I took in the man before me. Taller than me by more than a few inches, this boy was a fine piece of work. He was wearing a white tank top underneath a leather vest. His clearly defined muscles were out there for my viewing, dang his arms were fineee. His dark blue hair was tucked underneath a bandana with a flame pattern on it. Those same locks framed his tanned face and helped to accent his bright amber eyes. He wore a rather confident attitude well, it seemed to suit him.

"Son, I don't appreciate this." Came Dale's gruff reply as I was snapped back to reality.

"And _I_ don't appreciate you manhandling our newest neighbor."

"Well I… I really don't mind paying." I attempted to resolve. My attempt was returned with a hand clapping onto my shoulder and a brisk laugh from the young man before me.

"Don't be silly! I'll have what you need fixed in no time!"

I just stood and stared up at him, my eyes probably resembled something like saucers at this point.

"I… Uh… Thank you!" I said in an outburst, bowing forcibly.

Luke laughed again, clapping my shoulder once more after I straightened up.

"I like you!" He announced.

I really didn't know what to do with this guy.

"Thanks…" I returned. I felt like I had been thanking people a lot lately.

"It's nothing miss… Oh! I never got your name. Dumb me." He said, still smiling largely. "I'm Luke."

"Ah! I'm Rin." I said, shaking his now outstretched hand with a smile.

"Well, Rin, it's nice meeting you. I'm going to go get what I need to fix your house." He headed for a door that was nearly behind the counter. "If you haven't yet, I recommend you see what Garmon Mines has to offer you." He smiled before disappearing.

I looked to Dale. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to turn out this way."

He huffed a bit. "S'alright. I should have expected Luke to step in. He's always been like that. Just go enjoy yourself, Luke knows where to go."

"Oh! O-okay… Thank you, again." I bowed once more before departing the shop. My head was spinning as I stood just outside of the carpenters.

"Well… I guess that's done." I said before slumping to the ground, not quite sure what to think anymore.


End file.
